The area of pattern recognition and computer vision, after over 35 years of
continued development, has now reached its maturity. The theories, techniques
and algorithms are mostly well developed. There are a number of applications
which are still being explored. New approaches motivated by applications and new
computer architectures available are still being studied. Also the recently renewed
and intensive efforts on neural networks have had great and positive impact on
pattern recognition and computer vision development. Pattern recognition and
computer vision will definitely play a very major role in advanced automation as
we enter the 21st century.
Amid all of these activities now going on, this new Handbook of Pattern
Recognition and Computer Vision is much needed to cover what has been
well developed in theory, techniques and algorithms and the major applications of
pattern recognition and computer vision as well as the new hardwarelarchitecture
aspects of computer vision and the related development in pattern recognition. The
previous Handbook of Pattern Recognition and Image Processing, edited by T. Y.
Young and the late K. S. Fu (Academic Press, 1986) was well received. The progress
in pattern recognition and computer vision has been particularly significant in the
recent past. We believe this new handbook that reflects more recent developments
especially in computer vision will serve well the increasingly larger community of
readers in the area. As students and friends of Prof. Fu, we remember well his
vigorous efforts to broaden the frontiers of pattern recognition and computer vision
in both theories and applications, to build it as an interdisciplinary area, and to
lay down the foundation of intelligent and automated systems based on pattern
recognition and computer vision. The book, in keeping up with his vision for the
area, provides an extensive coverage of major research progress since the publication
of Young and Fu’s book.